There's a discussion about this every few weeks or so...it doesn't get too far....I don';t think anyones actually brewed with it, though your recipe kinda sounds tasty.....But how would you handle the grease? It would kill head retention...

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Any recommendations on overcoming the head-retention issue that fatty ingredients seem to pose?

Yeah, don't put it in your beer. Two things brewers want to minimize in beer are protein and fat which are, ta da, the two main components of bacon. Honestly, it is just not a good idea. If you want a bacony flavor try switching out that bituminous flavored peat smoked malt with some wood smoked German malt.

That's almost what I'm thinking at this point... something to the effect of crushing up artificial bacon bits. Or maybe creating bacon-bourbon, and then bacon-bourbon-soaked-oak-chips. More research is to be done...

I think that maybe a strict filtration process of cold-conditioning a bacon/vodka mixture might work. I'm sure you could strain out alot of the protien/fat. Maybe try to balance that with some carapils or something.